James: I’ve started a Stanford course on compassion for doctors and psychologists—funded by the Dalai Lama’s Mind and Life Institute—where practice meets neuroscience. In the first class we were asked to name an intention, and I realized mine wasn’t to be there for my patients; I feel practiced there. It was to find compassion for the … Continued
Laura: It’s a little too easy to feel the inherent suffering in our world today. Rather than pushing discomfort away or hiding from it, tonight’s practice is simple: exploring a more compassionate presence. First, we’ll spend some time nourishing ourselves. Then, we’ll get curious about just how far a ripple of loving kindness can go. As … Continued
Jane: For tonight’s practice, we’re going to do one long, delicious loving-kindness practice, moving through our various teachers (animal, vegetable, and mineral), members of our community, our friends, our families, and ourselves, trying to actively cultivate compassion for the world as it is. This Valentine’s week, let’s let love (ing-kindness) rule.
Kevin: In the course of our practice, we may uncover a false dichotomy we’ve been carrying, often unconsciously: that non-dual realization (seeing the non-separate wholeness of, well, everything) rejects personal experience. As though fully embodying compassion, empathy, and love in the relative world requires holding onto a solid, separate “me,” and as though transcending form demands … Continued